Wheelie bin crackdown
TAXPAYERS' groups and Westcountry MPs have called for "common sense" to prevail after councillors in Devon announced a ban on collecting wheelie bins unless lids are firmly closed.
East Devon District Council is poised to impose the ban from next Monday claiming it is a health and safety measure.
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Wheelie bins with open lids will still be collected in Exeter
According to the council the decision was taken following the death of a rubbish collector somewhere else in the country who became trapped in machinery while trying to shut a lid.
However, the move has angered many who regard the measure as "ridiculous".
Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "It's ridiculous to introduce such a Draconian rule when taxpayers pay so much just to get this basic service.
"Surely bin men are capable of closing the occasional lid by themselves. We've reached a point where it seems councils are so obsessed with health and safety that they refuse to even acknowledge a bit of common sense."
Hugo Swire, Conservative MP for East Devon, last night said: "I make a plea for common sense to prevail in this situation. Bringing in bans is not a solution."
Meanwhile, refuse collectors in Exeter said they will not follow the lead of East Devon District Council by refusing to empty bins that are not properly closed.
Robert Norley, Exeter's head of environmental health services, said the same policy would not be imposed in the city.
He said: "Although we don't have a hard and fast rule about this we would strongly encourage residents to make sure that all rubbish is contained within the bins and that they are properly closed.
"There are several good reasons for this. If bins are not properly closed, waste can get blown about, pests can get access to it, and it can affect the manoeuvrability of the bin. Also, if the lid can't close at all then rain can make the contents of bins wet, which we don't want at all with waste which is being recycled."
East Devon's bins are collected by French-owned waste company Sita and the council says the new policy applies to areas that had non-recyclable landfill-waste wheelie bins and food waste collections.
It will also apply to the Honiton area when it switches to the new service on Wednesday March 24.
Overflowing bins will be labelled "Bin lid open, making it unsafe to empty".
The bins will be collected on the next round two weeks later if the lid is by then in the down position.
Councillor David Cox, who is responsible for waste and recycling in East Devon, insisted it was "clearly a very serious safety issue."
He said: "We cannot put our contractor's staff at risk. I'm sure the public will support us in this."
A spokesman for Mid Devon District Council said the authority had not yet taken a decision on whether it would be imposing a similar policy.
6 Comments
by Britain Ruined by Bliar, Brooon., plymouth
Tuesday, March 16 2010, 4:10PM
“The idiots in suits, like council officials and MPs, do not understand the real world !
I live in a street of multi occupancy flats many of which have 1 green and 1 brown bin....for 3 flats with 5 adults plus 2 babies!!!
Of course, thier 2 bin lids are vertical half way through the week. The rest is in black bags !”
by Tim, East Devon
Tuesday, March 16 2010, 3:22PM
“Councillor Cox. I think I have news for you. I don't doubt for one second that you are as wrong about public support on this as you and your colleagues at EDDC are on most things.
Pathetic excuses for failing to provide a decent service.
Otherwise agree with TimV 's updated posting.”
by Disappointed of South Devon, South Devon
Tuesday, March 16 2010, 3:21PM
“Excellent work there by the Council. In two weeks time the amount of waste will be signficantly higher than the already full bin - so where will that rubbish go? Council Tax is already astronomical - my village has no street lights, mains drainage or mains gas - so what exactly am I getting for my £2000?!”
by Jay, E Devon
Tuesday, March 16 2010, 2:27PM
“We have to put large amounts of potentially recyclable material into our wheelie bin because it is not on EDDC's "approved" list. Much of this is food packaging (card, cardboard, plastics). When the list is expanded, or manufactures are forced to be sensible, wheelie bin contents will greatly reduce.”
by TimV, Pz
Tuesday, March 16 2010, 1:05PM
“CORRECTED COPY WITH APOLOGIES FOR ERRORS:
Refuse collection and disposal is currently a big environmental issue in the South West, as other stories in this paper confirm. If we create rubbish, it has to be collected and disposed of, which inevitably leads to re-cycling, land-fill or incineration, none of which are without their significant problems. The volume of a wheelie bin is much greater than the traditional metal refuse bin, in general use about thirty years ago, and offers other advantages such as less manual handling and better hygiene. Yet wheelie bins are now not large enough to cope with the rubbish produced by the average household, despite other recycling initiatives. The contents have significantly changed from principally ash to plastic. The main reason for this is the quantity of packaging, often unnecessary, and our "throw-away" society. Not until manufacturers and retailers take this issue seriously, will the underlying problem be addressed. Meanwhile, a bi-weekly collection is insufficient, if over-filled bins are to be avoided. As usual "health and safety" is being used as a convenient excuse to tackle the bigger issue, which stands in the way of a reduced collection service.”
by TimV, Pz
Tuesday, March 16 2010, 12:55PM
“Refuse collection and disposal is currently a big environmental issue in the South West, as it is nationally. If we create rubbish, it has to be collected and disposed of, which inevitably leads to re-cycling, land-fill or incineration, none of which are without their significant problems. The volume of a wheely bin is much greater than the traditional metal refuse bin, in general use about thirty years ago, and offer other advantages such as less manual handling and better hygiene. The contents have significantly changed from principally ash to plastic. Yet they too are now not large enough to cope with the rubbish produced by the average household despite other recycling initiatives. The main reason for this is the quantity of packaging, often unnecessary, and our "throw-away" society. Not until manufactures and retailers take this issue seriously will the underlying problem be addressed. Meanwhile a bi-weekly collection is insufficient, if over-filled bins are to be avoided. As usual "health and safety" is being used as convenient excuse to tackle the bigger issue, which stands in the way of a reduced collection service.”